As discussed in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 19,377, filed Mar. 12, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,264, entitled Reclining Seat Latch, manually operated latch mechanisms for retaining a reclinable back of a vehicle seat in a desired position are known. However, there is constant pressure on the automotive industry to provide latch mechanisms that are more positive, more accessible, lighter, and less expensive than known latch mechanisms.